S132P4 – Patterns in Exodus: earthly captivity
Exo. 2:23-25
Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.
For those who serve the Lord, their goal is to actually serve him. They want to be used by him for his kingdom purposes here on Earth. It is not enough to say that they have some kind of relationship with him. The evidence of that relationship is that they work toward advancing his will. They know that the fruits of their labor, although sometimes visibly evident, are not aimed at establishing something physical. They want to create movement in the spiritual realm and accomplish that which often cannot be seen. What they cannot forget is that there is an opposing force at work which will try to silence and trap them so that they cannot complete their work.
Physical captivity is only the first step. When we survey the examples in scripture of Israel being taken captive, and even when we survey the modern day examples of oppression toward Christians and Jews, the physical constraints or limitations imposed upon them are really spiritual. The goal is to move from physical impedance to spiritual impedance. Just as we are working for the Lord, our enemy has many people working for him even if they do not realize it. They also have a spiritual mission. In trying to change the tide of our faith, oftentimes physical restraint is just an avenue toward establishing spiritual restraint. For those who have been threatened with physical punishment if they do not renounce their faith, they have known this well.
No enemy of Israel to hold them in captivity supported their remaining the same spiritually or culturally. Their captors wanted to change them as a people. Physical captivity was just a means to an end. Our nation and culture are not too sophisticated or advanced to refrain from employing such tactics. We might even be experiencing subtle versions of this today. Remember what the enemy’s end goal is in this, and fight against it. Pray for our brothers and sisters who are experiencing captivity today, that they would remember how free they are. Father, help us to walk in the freedom that You provide through your Son even when the world tries tries to keep us quiet and captive.